Snowplow



I. VANVlCK SNOWPLOW Feb. 26, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 4, 1948IMVENTOR ISAA VANV/CK I 5v 1:- 7d- 50 ml? ATTORNEY Feb. 26, 1952 N K2,587,415

SNOWPLOW Filed Feb. 4, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 A from/EV Patented Feb. 26,1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SNOWPLOW Isak Vanvick, Minneapolis,Minn. Application February 4, 1948, Serial No. 6,219

3 Claims. (01. 37-53) This inventionhas relation to a snowplow.

. An object of the invention is to provide a machine for removing orhandling snow wherein will be incorporated desirable and improvedfeatures and characteristics of construction novel both as individualentities of the machine and in combination with each other.

A further object is to provide a machine for removing snow which can beself-propelling.

A further object is to provide a snow handling machine which will beeffective in wet and sticky snow.

A further object is to provide in a machine of the present character, asnow removing or handling entity of novel and improved construction.

' And afurther object isto provide a snow plow incorporating featuresand characteristics as hereinafter set forth.

With the above objects in view, as well as others which will appear asthe specification proceeds, the invention comprises the construction,arrangement and combination ofparts as now to be fully described andhereinafter to be specifically claimed, it being understood that the.disclosure herein is ,merely illustrative and intended in no way in alimiting sense, "changes in details of construction and arrangement ofparts being permissible as long as within the' line 33 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view, taken as on line 4--4 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view, taken as on line 5-5 in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view detailing an adjustabledeflector of the snow plow.

With respect to the drawings and the numerals of reference thereon, I0represents a frame of the snow plow, II indicates supporting wheels forsaid frame, and I2 designates guide handles on said frame for said snowplow. The snow plow is adapted to be manually guided, and a rotatableelement and feed screws of a snow removing or handling entity of saidsnow plow are adapted to be driven throughthe instrumentalityofmechanism", to be-described; The

Q snow plow can be propelled either manually or through theinstrumentality of the feed screws.

The frame I!) includes an upright rear wall I3, upright side walls I4and I5, an upper wall I6, a lower wall l1, and a cylindrical wall 45disposed between said rear wall i3 and the upper, lower and side walls.A rear part-cylindrical wall 46, between the end walls I4 and I5 andexterior of the cylindrical wall 45, connects the upper and lower walls[6 and I1. The rear wall I3, the side walls I4 and I5, the upper wallIS, the lower wall H, the cylindrical wall 45 and the part-cylindricalwall 46 are integrally connected in any suitable and convenient manner,

as by welding or riveting.

The rear wall I3, the side walls I4 and I5, the upper wall I5, the lowerwall H, the cylindrical wall 45 and the part-cylindrical wall 46cooperate with a'rotatable element I8 and feed screws I9 and 2B of thesnow plow to provide a snow removing or handling entity for said snowplow. Said rotatable element I8 is fixed upon a longitudinal horizontalshaft 2| and is situated in an annular chamber 22 contiguous with therear wall I3 and provided by the cylindrical wall 45. A passageway 23 isbounded by said cylindrical wall 45 and upper wall I6, islocatedforwardly of and is contiguous with said annular chamber 22. Oppositeend portions of said shaft 2| are mounted in the rear wall l3 and in agear box 24 suitably and conveniently supported, as at 25, upon themidlength of the upper wall I6. One of the feed-screws I9, 20 is rightand the other is left, and said feed screws I9, 20 are fixedly supportedupon a transverse horizontal shaft 26 disposed forwardly of the annularchamber 22 and having its opposite ends rotatably mounted, as at 21,upon the side walls I4 and I 5. An intermediate part of the shaft 25 ismounted, as at 28, in the gear box, and the feed screws I9 and 20 are atopposite sides of said gear 'box'directly in front ofthe annularpassageway 23 to the annular chamber 22.

The supporting wheels II are upon a rearward portion of the frame Ill,and a forward portion of the lower wall I! of said frame is adapted tolie in adjacent relation to the ground while the snow plow is beingpropelled through the medium of the handles [2. Lower portions of thefeed screws I9 and 20 are at an elevation a trifle above that of saidlower wall I! when the plow is being thus manually propelled.

The frame I0 suitably and conveniently supports an internal combustionengine 29 of the snow plow which is adapted to the purposeof driving orturning the rotatable element l8 and the shaft 26 supporting the feedscrews l9 and 20. As shown, the shaft 30 of the engine 29 rigidlysupports a gear 3| which meshes with a gear 32 fixed on the shaft 2|,and'a worm 33 on said shaft 2| meshes with a worm gear 34 fixed uponsaid shaft 26. Upon operation of the internal combustion engine 29, therotatable element I8 will be driven or turned through theinstrumentality of the gears 3| and 32 and the shaft 2|, and the shaft26, together with the feed screws l9 and 20 fixed thereon, will bedriven or turned through the instrumentality of said gears 3| and 32,said shaft 2|, said worm gear 33 and said worm gear 34.

Forward portions of the side walls l4 and I5, the upper wall IS, thelower wall H and partcylindrical wall 46 together form an open facedsnow gathering chamber in which the feed screws operate. The forwardportion of upper wall l6 extends upward and outward from the top of the'feed screws l9 and 23. The part-cylindrical wall 46 is concentric withand situated close to the feed screws l9 and 29, and the forward marginof said lower wall I! is constituted as a knife edge 35. g

The rotatable element I8 is constituted as a pair of snow transportingelements 36 situated at opposite sides of and disposed radially of theshaft 2|. Each snow transporting element 36 is straight in the directionof its length and curvilinear in cross-section.

The snow transporting elements 33 are arranged concentrically of and incomparatively close relation to the cylindrical wall bounding theannular chamber 22, and said snow transporting elements are in verticalalinement with a vertical outlet passageway 31' from said annularchamber.

The rotatable element I8 is revolved so that its snow transportingelements 35 move in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 5, and said snowtransporting elements 36 have width a bit less than the width of theannular chamber-22. The arrangement is suchthat the concave surfaces 'ofthe snow transporting elements are the working and transportingsurfaces, respectively, thereof The shaft 26, with the feed screws |9,29, is

revolved so that said feed screws will cause.

snow to'be fed interiorly of the snow plow, toward the gear box 24. v

The vertical outletpassageway 3! supports an adjustable snow deflector'38 which can be of ordinary or preferred construction, and means formanipulating said adjustable snow deflector is supported upon the guidehandles l2. More explicitly, the lower end portion 39 of the snowdeflector 38 is'rotatably supported upon the upper end portion of thevertical outlet passageway 31, a clip were; the purpose of retainingsaid snow deflector 38 and outlet passageway 31 in assembled relation,and a gear 4| at the lower end of said snow deflector is foraccomplishing rotational adjustment of the snow deflector. An

combustion engine 29. Said internal combustion engine can be of anycharacter suitable to its intended purpose.

The manner in which the snow plow operates will be evident. The plow maybe propelled either manually from the guide handles |2 or under thepower of the engine 29. When power propulsion is desired, the guidehandles are elevated to tip the snow plow forward. This brings feedscrews l9 and 2|) in contact with the ground and brings wheels H inspaced relation with the ground. The construction and arrangement aresuch that feed screws l9 and 20 will be rotated in direction to causethe snow plow to be propelled forwardly when the feed screws are restedon the "ground.

Under either method of propulsion, the open faced snow gathering chamberwill direct the snow and ice into the snow plow. The forward portion ofupper wall [6 will direct snow down into-the feed screws 19 ai1d20,while said 'fe'ed screws cooperate to feed anddirect snow-and ice fromthe front'of the snow plow to the annular passageway 2'3 whence saidsnow and ice will enter the annular chamber 22 concurrently withmovement ahead of the snow plow. The part-cylindrical wall 46 and theside walls l4 and I5; by their-close proximity to the rotating feedscrews I9 and 29 act to'prevent any sticky or wet snow fromaccumulatingadjacent to the feed screws l9 and 20' where it would tendto retard the movement of said screws. The snow transporting elements 36are adapted'to cause snow andice to be forced through the outletpassageway 31 and-the snow deflector 38 out of the machine. Each snowtransportingelement 36 will carry an individual load 'or shovelful ofsnow up through said outlet passageway 31. The rotatable element l8 willbe revolved at a high rate of speed, and the snow and ice will leave theoutlet passageway 31 inthe form of individual and separate charges ofsnow and ice each equal in amount to 'ashovelful or snow and ice forcedout of the machine under .considerable momentum by the centrifugal forceex= erted-through the snow transporting elements 36.

Whatis claimed is:

1. A drive mechanism for asnow plow comprising a helical =feed screwhcnzonmn and transversely mounted on said plow at a forward portionthereof and disposed to have a lowermost part" of said screw normallyslightly spaced from and. immediately adjacent the ground, poweractuated means for causing. said feed. screw to be rotated, a pairofsupporting wheels r0"- tatably mounted on said plow on an axis-parallelto the axis of said feed screw and rearward thereoffor supporting theplow-in normal operation under manual propulsion, and an actuat inghandle rig-id with said plow for m'anu'ally propelling and guiding saidplowin n'o 'rmal operation and for raising said wheels from the groundand bringing said feed screwin operative connection with the ground toeifect forward=drive of the plow in response to actuation of said poweractuated means. a

2. In a rotary snow plow having a helical'feed screw at a forwardportion thereof for conveying snow to a rotary snow transporting elementdisposed rearwardly'of and communicating with said feed screw, a drivemechanism comprising said helical feed screw horizontally-and trans-"vrs'ely mounted to have ia lowermost .portion thereof in closeproximitytothe' 'ground, power actuated means for causing saidi feed'-''screw to be rotated, a pair of supporting wheels rotatably mountedon said plow rearward of said feed screw on an axis parallel to the axisof the feed screw for supporting said plow in normal operation undermanual propulsion, and an actuating handle rigid with said plow formanually propelling and guiding said plow in normal operation and forraising said wheels from the ground and bringing said feed screw intooperative connection with the ground to effect forward drive of the plowin response to actuation of said power actuated means.

3. In a rotary snow plow, the combination with a frame, a prime movermounted on said frame, and a rotary snow transporting unit on said frameoperably connected with said prime mover, of a helical feed screwhorizontally and transversely mounted on a forward portion of said framein close proximity to the ground for conveying snow to a positiondirectly forward of said snow transporting unit, means connecting saidprime mover and said helical feed screw to cause said feed screw to berotated downwardly at a forward portion thereof and upwardly atarearward portion thereof in response to operation of said prime mover,a pair of supporting wheels rotatably mounted on the frame on an axisparallel to the axis of said feed screw and rearwardly thereof forsupporting said. plow in normal operation under manual propulsion, andan actuating handle rigid with said plow for manually propelling andguiding said plow in normal operation and for raising said wheels fromthe ground and bringing said feed screw in operative connection with theground to efiect forward drive of the plow in response to rotation ofthe feed screw.

ISAK VANVICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENT Number Name Date 1,587,449 Wandscheer June 1, 19262,092,536 Sicard Sept. 7, 1937 2,168,866 Gehl Aug. 8, 1939 2,278,220Sicard Mar. 31, 1942 2,373,318 Lewin Apr. 10, 1945 2,375,965 Turtle May15, 1945

